Service with a Smile

The Uncle Fred Series, Book 4

By: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrated by: Nigel Lambert

The description of his ancestral seat as an earthly paradise would, at present, have struck its proprietor as ironical, full as it was with unwanted and troublesome inhabitants. What Lord Emsworth needed above all was a rugged ally at his side to remove from Blandings its superfluous guests, leaving him in peace to tend his beloved pig, Empress of Blandings. However, when Lord Ickenham is on a sweetness-and-light-spreading expedition, there's always apt to be trouble.

©2016 P.G. Wodehouse (P)2016 Blackstone Audio

Well read tale of Lords and Ladies

This constantly funny sitcom benefits strongly from good reading. Nigel Lambert is new to me and impressive. Multiple voice characterizations and a patient BBC-documentary-type narration convey this Wodehouse masterpiece perfectly.

Comedy of human nature and folly with timeless accessibility

P. G. Wodehouse creates unforgettably textured characters and weaves them into stories that showcase the hilarity involved in pursuing human desires in a society

Charming, delightful narrator

I've always loved this book. This narrator makes it *even better*. I had to get used to his Ickenham and the honking Americans, quite different to the voices they had in my head, but it was worth it because his performance sang.

Muppet voiced!

I didn't hate narrator Nigel Lambert's performance, but the voices he does are all very Muppet-coded! It was a bit jarring.

Listen with a Smile

While perhaps not the very highest point in the Blandings bookshelf, this one is certainly up there, standing just below the classic lunacy of Uncle Fred in the Springtime or Full Moon, and miles ahead of the rather lame A Pelican at Blandings. You will certainly listen with a smile; I do every time I take this one out to mow the lawn, rake the leaves, wash the dishes or fold the laundry. And Nigel Lambert’s performance makes one wish he’d recorded more Wodehouse than just Lord Emsworth and Others, Ring for Jeeves, Uneasy Money and this sterling effort.